Upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 8? Here’s a helpful guide

If you haven’t upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 8 yet, you better do it now, because we’ve the perfect guide for you. Don’t worry, all your precious files and programs will be preserved (however, we’ll recommend keeping a backup, just in case). You can upgrade either using the Upgrade Assistant, or using a DvD, but the latter would be expensive and a bit difficult to find.

1) Download Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant(Here’s the link). 2) Run it; the program will check if your computer is capable of running Windows 8 or not. It will also identify the installed programs that will be incompatible with Windows 8. Click ‘See Compatibility Details’ to see the list. You will get an option to uninstall them later in setup, but you can go ahead and uninstall them now (you can keep the Upgrade Assistant open while this happens). 3) Now it will ask you what you want to keep from your current Windows installation. Select ‘Windows settings, personal files, and apps’. 4) The next window will display the best possible version of Windows 8 for you. Click the Order button. 5) It will ask you to review your order, and specify if you want a Windows DVD (apart from the 2GB Digital Download that you’re going to do now). Heck no, we don’t want a DVD! Click Checkout. 6) Now it’s time to enter some confidential information (name, address, e-mail address, etc.). Fill in the required fields and click Next. 7) Select a payment method. Most probably, you’ll be presented with just one option credit card. Select it, and you’ll be asked to enter more information (credit card number, security code, etc.). Enter the information and click Next. You will be charged about 39.99 USD.

8) The next screen will show you your order confirmation, so you can see if all the information that you entered is correct. There’s one more thing that you can do – add a promo code to get Windows for a discounted price. More details about the promo code can be found from the Windows Upgrade Offer (link is here). Click the ‘I agree to the terms and conditions’ check box; and click the Buy button. 9) The next page will show you your Windows 8 Product Key. Click Next to start the download. 10) Now it will show you the progress of your Windows 8 download You can use your computer while it downloads. Once the download is finished, it will verify and prepare the files for installation. 11) You’ll now get the option to install Windows 8 immediately, or create a USB or a DVD for installation, or choose to install later (this places an ‘Install Windows’ icon on your desktop which you can use anytime to start the installation). But for now, choose the install now option and click Next. 12) It will start downloading the updates, and will show you the usual License Agreement. Click ‘I agree to the license terms’, and click Accept. 13) Now you might be presented with a list of incompatible apps that were identified earlier. If you haven’t removed them so far, you may do so now by clicking the ‘Uninstall’ button next to the programs displayed. Or if you have already uninstalled them and they still show up, click the Refresh button and they’ll be gone. All you need to do now is to click the Restart button to restart your computer.

14) Once it restarts, the upgrade assistant will still be open. Select ‘Continue from where I left off’, on the Ready to Install screen; it will show you the tasks it will carry out, now Windows 8 will be installed (and this might take a while). After that’s done, your computer will restart again and you’ll see the new Windows 8 boot screen. It will restart a couple of times before getting you to the final stages of the setup process. 15) You’ll now be asked to personalize by choosing a color for the Start screen. Congratulations, you’ve successfully upgraded to Windows 8.